false 51653 0 0 843764 1400062624 9781400062621 20 <![CDATA[America's Constitution: A Biography]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178836170m/843764.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178836170s/843764.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/843764.America_s_Constitution_A_Biography 4.06 77 America’s Constitution, one of this era’s most accomplished constitutional law scholars, Akhil Reed Amar, gives the first comprehensive account of one of the world’s great political texts. Incisive, entertaining, and occasionally controversial, this “biography” of America’s framing document explains not only what the Constitution says but also why the Constitution says it.

We all know this much: the Constitution is neither immutable nor perfect. Amar shows us how the story of this one relatively compact document reflects the story of America more generally. (For example, much of the Constitution, including the glorious-sounding “We the People,” was lifted from existing American legal texts, including early state constitutions.) In short, the Constitution was as much a product of its environment as it was a product of its individual creators’ inspired genius.

Despite the Constitution’s flaws, its role in guiding our republic has been nothing short of amazing. Skillfully placing the document in the context of late-eighteenth-century American politics, America’s Constitution explains, for instance, whether there is anything in the Constitution that is unamendable; the reason America adopted an electoral college; why a president must be at least thirty-five years old; and why–for now, at least–only those citizens who were born under the American flag can become president.

From his unique perspective, Amar also gives us unconventional wisdom about the Constitution and its significance throughout the nation’s history. For one thing, we see that the Constitution has been far more democratic than is conventionally understood. Even though the document was drafted by white landholders, a remarkably large number of citizens (by the standards of 1787) were allowed to vote up or down on it, and the document’s later amendments eventually extended the vote to virtually all Americans.

We also learn that the Founders’ Constitution was far more slavocratic than many would acknowledge: the “three fifths” clause gave the South extra political clout for every slave it owned or acquired. As a result, slaveholding Virginians held the presidency all but four of the Republic’s first thirty-six years, and proslavery forces eventually came to dominate much of the federal government prior to Lincoln’s election.

Ambitious, even-handed, eminently accessible, and often surprising, America’s Constitution is an indispensable work, bound to become a standard reference for any student of history and all citizens of the United States.]]> 51653 4.11 145 25 2005 285557 0300082770 9780300082777 2 <![CDATA[The Bill of Rights: Creation and Reconstruction]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173413455m/285557.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173413455s/285557.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/285557.The_Bill_of_Rights_Creation_and_Reconstruction 4.31 32 The Bill of Rights. "Instead of being studied holistically, the Bill has been broken up ... with each segment examined in isolation." With The Bill of Rights, Amar aims to put the pieces back together and take a longer view of a document few Americans truly understand. Part history of the Bill, part analysis of what the Founding Fathers' intentions really were, this book provides a unique interpretation of the Constitution. It is Amar's hypothesis that, contrary to popular belief, the Bill of Rights was not originally constructed to protect the minority against the majority, but rather to empower popular majorities. It wasn't until 19th-century post-Civil War reconstruction and the introduction of the 14th Amendment that the notion of individual rights took hold. Prior to that, the various amendments to the Constitution that make up the Bill of Rights were more about the structure of government and designed to protect citizens against a self-interested regime. Yet so great has been the impact of the 14th Amendment on modern legal thought that the Bill's original intentions have almost been forgotten.

Through skillful interpretation and solid research, Amar both reconstructs the original thinking of the Founding Fathers and chronicles the radical changes that have occurred since the inclusion of the 14th Amendment in the Bill of Rights. The results make for provocative reading no matter where you stand on the political spectrum.]]> 51653 4.11 145 25 1998 317514 0684871025 9780684871028 0 <![CDATA[For the People: What the Constitution Really Says about Your Rights]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173721171m/317514.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173721171s/317514.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/317514.For_the_People_What_the_Constitution_Really_Says_about_Your_Rights 3.80 5 Did you know that:
-- The Supreme Court is not the ultimate authority for constitutional interpretation. It is subservient to the People, who can amend the Constitution through a kind of national referendum.
-- In certain cases juries may decide for themselves how to interpret the Constitution rather than follow judges' opinions.
-- The Framers intended for us to be able to protect ourselves from the federal government.

We the People have awesome responsibilities. If the Constitution really is to be an instrument of the People, as intended, it is imperative that we all understand this great document. Read this book and keep it (and its copy of the Constitution) on your shelf. We all owe ourselves, and our fellow citizens, an education in our constitutional rights and responsibilities.

]]> 51653 4.11 145 25 56757 3.88 96 28 1998 1526632 0735512507 9780735512504 0 <![CDATA[Processes of Constitutional Decisionmaking: Cases and Materials (Casebook Series)]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1184748206m/1526632.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1184748206s/1526632.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1526632.Processes_of_Constitutional_Decisionmaking_Cases_and_Materials 3.00 4 51653 4.11 145 25 2000 2635906 0 <![CDATA[The Bill of Rights Primer]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2635906.The_Bill_of_Rights_Primer 5.00 1 51653 4.11 145 25 1160994 4.43 7 1 1998 120471 0735539731 9780735539730 0 <![CDATA[Processes of Constitutional Decisionmaking Supplement: Cases and Materials]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171825129m/120471.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171825129s/120471.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/120471.Processes_of_Constitutional_Decisionmaking_Supplement_Cases_and_Materials 4.00 1 69880 4.20 15 3 51653 4.11 145 25 60072 3.85 53 10 2004 284576 0300074883 9780300074888 0 <![CDATA[The Constitution and Criminal Procedure: First Principles]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173408572m/284576.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173408572s/284576.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/284576.The_Constitution_and_Criminal_Procedure_First_Principles 4.00 1 51653 4.11 145 25 1997 317516 0300079540 9780300079548 0 <![CDATA[Impeachment: A Handbook (Yale Fastback Series)]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173721172m/317516.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173721172s/317516.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/317516.Impeachment_A_Handbook 3.00 1 51653 4.11 145 25 1998 6064524 0735528586 9780735528581 0 <![CDATA[Processes of Constitutional Decisionmaking: Cases and Materials : 2002 Supplement]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6064524.Processes_of_Constitutional_Decisionmaking_Cases_and_Materials_2002_Supplement 0.0 0 69880 4.20 15 3 60072 3.85 53 10 69883 0.0 0 2 51653 4.11 145 25 2002 5191971 0735571619 9780735571617 0 <![CDATA[Process of Constitutional Decisions 2008 Case Supplement]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5191971.Process_of_Constitutional_Decisions_2008_Case_Supplement 0.0 0 69880 4.20 15 3 51653 4.11 145 25 60072 3.85 53 10 768573 3.00 4 1 2156597 3.50 2 1 2008